CHAPTER NINE
Bobby slept fitfully that night, and, as a result, so did Alex. At one point, Bobby's cries and shivering woke her. She gently touched his chest, and he immediately calmed and moved into a deeper sleep. Alex studied his face; she could just make out his features in the dim light. She knew about many of his fears and that they weren't imaginary, but the products of real terrors. She wondered if she could deal with them. Bobby stirred, mumbled something, and reached for her. She rested in his arms, and he smiled.
"He's a good, brave, brilliant man," Alex thought. "And he loves me. And I love him. I have to try."
The sound of running water and the smell of coffee woke her. She sat up groggily and looked at the clock. It was a little before six, and the previous night's events had kept her and Bobby up late, but he obviously had given up his battle for sleep. The sound of the water ended, and several moments later, Bobby, his hair damp and tousled, appeared in the room. He wore a T-shirt and boxers. A dark bruise graced his left cheek, extending far enough to give him a black eye. The swelling wasn't as bad as Alex feared it might be, and Bobby could see out of his left eye, but it looked bad enough.
"Sorry," he said, looking everywhere but at her. "I didn't mean to wake you up. But I couldn't sleep."
"It's ok," Alex said. For the first time since their first night together, she was uncertain of how to deal with him, and Bobby seemed equally unsure of how to deal with her. She decided to have him do something for her. "Could you fix me a cup of coffee while I go to the bathroom?"
"Of course."
When she came back to the room, she found him standing and staring out the window. He wordlessly handed her the coffee, which she gratefully accepted. The morning air was chilly, and the coffee's warmth and caffeine were both welcome.
"The parking lot can't be that fascinating," she finally said.
He turned his head towards her. "No, no it isn't."
"How do you feel?" She tentatively placed her hand on his back.
"I've got a bit of headache."
"That means it must really hurt," Alex said. She could feel the tension in his muscles, and began to gently rub his back. "You just want to get some more sleep? Or go get that bruise checked out?"
Bobby shook his head. "I took some Advil. It's already better. I'll be fine. Uh, maybe, we should go back, and face whoever is doing this?"
Alex sat her coffee cup down and wrapped her arms around him. "Is that what you really want?"
"No," he said after a moment. "But I don't know…Maybe you should…Oh, Alex." He sat his cup next to hers and turned to face her. He wrapped his arms around her.
"What happened last night wasn't your fault," Alex said. "I've got my sources. I'll find out who was responsible for that bulletin. And then, well, we still have some allies."
"You," Bobby said. "You have some allies."
"We're in this together," Alex declared.
"What if? What if it's…"
"My brother?" Alex snorted. "If he's had anything to do with this, well, he'll be lucky that I'm not near him"
Bobby gently left her arms and picked up his coffee. "What happened with that bulletin?"
"After I let Bud know I wasn't some damsel in distress, he called in to check on the bulletin. It'd been pulled minutes after it was issued."
Bobby stared out the window.
"C'mon, Bobby. I'm two hours from seeing the start of the Ohio River. I'm not going to miss that, or that museum with the gems."
"Ok, but I'd like to call Nichols or someone today to find out something."
"I plan to do that," Alex said. "I don't like being picked on."
Bobby rubbed the back of his neck. "What do you want to do? Just leave, and get breakfast somewhere? I'd hate to run into that deputy sheriff again. He felt so bad about everything."
"Yea. You put the stuff in the car, and I'll take a quick shower. I used my credit card, so we don't even have to stop at the front desk."
Fifteen minutes they were on the interstate.
"I've always liked that about you," Bobby said.
Alex paused in the brushing of her hair. "What?"
"You move quickly. Faster than me most of the time."
"And especially when I've had some caffeine." She smiled. She studied Bobby. He was quiet and subdued, and Alex wondered if he suffered from a headache, lack of sleep, or worry about what might be following them.
"Probably a combination," Alex thought.
"Look," she said. "I'm hungry."
Bobby stared at the road. "That's right. I kept you from having dinner last night."
"You had nothing to do with that," Alex said more sharply than she intended. "I'm sorry," she said and brushed her hand across his neck.
"I'll see what's at the next exit. I can use some coffee at least," Bobby said.
They found a local diner tucked in among the fast food joints. The place was busy, the staff friendly, the food good, and the coffee black and strong. Bobby's mood brightened, and they planned their assault on Pittsburgh. Alex called her sister Mary as Bobby went to the restroom. She knew at this time in the morning Mary was usually taking her morning break after getting Nate to school and before she left for the hospital. Mary was happy to hear from Alex, and told her sister that Nate was sorry he wasn't going to be able to see his aunt for a while but insisted on finding Minnesota on a map.
"Tell him we're going to follow the Ohio and Mississippi rivers," Alex said. "And see if he can trace them."
"That sounds fun, and romantic," Mary said.
"We did get stopped yesterday," Alex said cautiously. She decided not to tell Mary that an overeager, undertrained, and stupid cop nearly killed Bobby."There was a bulleting saying I hadn't gone with Bobby willingly."
"You don't think Mike?" Mary sucked in a breath. "I can't imagine him doing that, Lex. Of course, I haven't seen him since the party that wasn't a party. He's keeping a low profile. But that seems low, even for Mike at his worst."
"That's what I thought too," Alex said. "I'll need to check with other sources. You can tell Mike that by the time I get back I may be cooled off enough to talk to him."
Mary laughed. "You may the only one in the family. Even Mom is mad at him about this."
Bobby returned just as Alex said her goodbye. "Nate misses me," she said. "But he is following our progress on a map."
Bobby smiled.
"Mary doesn't know what Mike has been up to. He's not talking to my family, which is thoroughly on our side. Even my mom."
"Good, good," Bobby said. "I'd never want to come between you and your family."
They finally reached Pittsburgh, and had a very good time. Alex expected a city of grey and grime, and was pleasantly surprised by the brightness of the city. Bobby explained some of the history of the city's renaissance following the decline of the steel industry, and they visited several museums. The sun was starting to set as they stood at the park where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers joined to form the Ohio.
"Wow," Alex said.
Bobby stood just behind her. He wrapped his arms around her, and his bulk took away much of the chill of the late winter's evening. "Very wow."
They tried to reach Zach Nichols, but their calls went to voice mail. They briefly debated staying another day in the city, but decided to move on. There was no discussion about who would drive. Alex hadn't given up the wheel since after breakfast and wasn't about to surrender it. Bobby wasn't all that eager to drive, especially after the late night, early morning, and active day caught up with him.
"Tell me," Alex said, both to keep him awake and because she wanted to know. "About the Ohio."
As she drove, Bobby, in a voice as wonderful as any music, spoke about the river's history. Of how it allowed pioneers to reach into the Midwest; about the Native Americans who held it as scared; about the cities who rose and fell and rose again along its banks; of how it became the dividing line between the North and South; of how it was usually a remarkably placid river but occasionally showed its power, usually with terrible results; and of how Thomas Jefferson praised it for its gentle spirit and clear water.
"Of course," Bobby said thoughtfully. "I'm not sure Jefferson ever saw it." His hand rested gently behind Alex's neck. "I'm not boring you with all this, am I?"
"Not at all," Alex said firmly. "I'm looking forward to getting to know this river for the next week or so. And you telling me about it."
END CHAPTER NINE
